Starting a Cookie Shop
Just when you feel like eating a delicious cookie, what do you do? Many go to the bakery and others to the supermarket, but in some places there are already specific cookie shops that are successful, offering excellent quality handmade products. So it all turns out to be a great business opportunity for those who believe in their own potential and are willing to start a small business with many possibilities to grow.
If you are interested in this business idea, then take a look at some tips on how to set up a cookie shop in your town and how to start working with this popular food everywhere.
Let’s get started!
How do you start a cookie shop?
After going through the initial planning phase, it’s time to find a location to buy or rent and set up the cookie store. Ideally, it should be on a street that has good pedestrian traffic, for example in a shopping mall, near banks, near a bus stop, near a small square that is very crowded during the day, or even schools.
Remember to do a good market research before you start. Through this research you will be able to identify the location of your target audience, the competition nearby, the prices being driven, and other data to familiarize yourself with the market.
How a cookie store works
Before you even open the cookie shop, you need to plan how production will be carried out and thus create a list of main products. Obviously, it is possible to sell a wide variety of items of all kinds, but the focus of this idea is homemade cookies. Therefore, the best thing to do is to prepare, alfajores, butter cookies, and a wide coverage with several, sweet and salty homemade ones.
Even when it is a small shop, a reasonable amount needs to be applied to start the activities. With that capital you invest in the purchase of cookie production equipment, pay rent and do the decoration of the store, and also some costs with the legalization of the store, buy raw materials and other necessary expenses. On average it is estimated that your investment will be from $10 to $20 thousand dollars for a small store.
More possibilities…
Another option for those who want to set up a cookie store is to buy a type of franchise and there are already some interesting options in this market. So it’s just one more option for those who don’t want to focus only on selling homemade cookies, for example, in an exclusive store.
Requirements for a cookie shop
Remember that your cookie store must be legalized, so be sure to check with an accountant in your city for more accurate information on the procedure for legalization.
Another key aspect is the knowledge in the preparation of the product, because it is essential that as an entrepreneur, you do not know the procedures for the preparation of cookies, even if you are not the one who is going to prepare them, because this is important for the supervision of the people in charge.
How to promote a cookie shop?
It is not enough just to have a working place and open it to the public, more than that is required in order to grow and gain the profitability we are looking for. Ideally, before launching the store, you should hand out flyers and posters near the area where you are going to be located so that people close to you can get to know you.
We also recommend creating a website, because a business specializing in a product like this has the conditions to become a market reference, so at least the online promotion is a great advantage. Then you can consider online sales as a complementary channel.
Tips for setting up a cookie shop without risks
Several people can come to your store to buy customized kits and give them to someone on a special date, then you can use this strategy to sell even more at certain times of the year. You can make cookie kits for Children’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas, the more creative you are the more demand for products and you can even make custom kits.
The cookie business is very competitive because you have the big commercial brands, franchises and other stores that also make cookies in front of your own public. Your cookies should be special, because only the difference will allow you to compete with the big established brands.
Weaknesses: Starting a cookie store has high costs, which in principle are not quickly compensated for because making your own or at least frequent clientele can take time. If the product is not sold you run the risk that